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Gene Mapper
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In a future where reality has been augmented and biology itself has been hacked, the world's food supply is genetically modified, superior, and vulnerable. When gene mapper Hayashida discovers that his custom rice plant has experienced a dysgenic collapse, he suspects sabotage. Hayashida travels Asia to find himself in Ho Chi Minh City with hired-gun hacker Kitamura at his
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Paperback, 237 pages
Published
June 16th 2015
by Haikasoru
(first published April 24th 2013)
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3.5. Really I would have given this a 4 except the writing towards the end seemed both confusing and the final scene with the 'bad guys' was a bit slap stick. Maybe it was the translation?
I enjoyed the story and found the science interesting. although I know nothing about coding or augmented reality platforms I could follow the ideas fairly well. I would read this author again. ...more
I enjoyed the story and found the science interesting. although I know nothing about coding or augmented reality platforms I could follow the ideas fairly well. I would read this author again. ...more
Great Japanese hard bio-Sci-Fi (although with somewhat weak dialogs and characters).
In 2030s, after blight eradicated all cultivated rice in Asia, triggering world famine, agriculture depends solely on GM crops. But people are still suspicious of new technology, and when a new strain of bestselling rice starts to show unexpected behavior a team of biologists must race against the clock before it becomes a media catastrophe.
I never encountered Japanese science fiction before and "Gene Mapper" is ...more
In 2030s, after blight eradicated all cultivated rice in Asia, triggering world famine, agriculture depends solely on GM crops. But people are still suspicious of new technology, and when a new strain of bestselling rice starts to show unexpected behavior a team of biologists must race against the clock before it becomes a media catastrophe.
I never encountered Japanese science fiction before and "Gene Mapper" is ...more
Just finished this book last night. Definitely a great story, fantastic concept and well written.
The first person was awkward at times, this is also not my preferred style of writing for fantasy and sci-fi, it's difficult for the author to explain the futuristic technology and any social differences without seriously detracting from the story being told.
That didn't happen in this story, but that did mean up until about half way through the book I was still guessing and fuzzy on what some of the ...more
The first person was awkward at times, this is also not my preferred style of writing for fantasy and sci-fi, it's difficult for the author to explain the futuristic technology and any social differences without seriously detracting from the story being told.
That didn't happen in this story, but that did mean up until about half way through the book I was still guessing and fuzzy on what some of the ...more
It was very interesting but never got bogged down in the technical stuff. It had a good pace but didn't feel mad-capped. The end was optimistic, maybe a bit unrealistic, but a nice change from all of the apocalyptic stuff so many authors are putting out these days. Not that it was some pie-in-the sky, we fixed the world just like that, ending. It wasn't like that, it was just about how they handled the one thing that was relevant to their investigation and how it turned out. I found the Japanese
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I'd give this book a really high rating for the concepts it introduces, but a low rating on it holding my interest.
This book reminds me a lot of old-school cyberpunk. Our gene mapper main character is responsible for getting a genetically engineered field of rice to reflect the logo and certifications of the company that engineered it through changes in the plant pigmentation. This is a company that has enough money to burn that it wants its rice field to be its own visual advertisement. Howeve ...more
This book reminds me a lot of old-school cyberpunk. Our gene mapper main character is responsible for getting a genetically engineered field of rice to reflect the logo and certifications of the company that engineered it through changes in the plant pigmentation. This is a company that has enough money to burn that it wants its rice field to be its own visual advertisement. Howeve ...more
3.5 stars.
Japanese detective story wrapped in a science veneer. I liked the way the science issues were explored. There were some translation issues and I think it would have been better to read in the original Japanese.
Japanese detective story wrapped in a science veneer. I liked the way the science issues were explored. There were some translation issues and I think it would have been better to read in the original Japanese.
An interesting and quite engaging story filled with some noteworthy ideas about tech. Unfortunately the execution was hampered by poor understanding of how the opsec and infrastructure of such ideas would plausibly work and that really pushed my enjoyment level down.
The characterizations of the crew of characters also felt a bit flat. This really felt like a first attempt at novel writing, which is understandable considering that it's a debut.
Valiant effort, want to read more from this author, b ...more
The characterizations of the crew of characters also felt a bit flat. This really felt like a first attempt at novel writing, which is understandable considering that it's a debut.
Valiant effort, want to read more from this author, b ...more
This was sort of a teaser... almost touching on really fascinating potential future technology, but not quite. The tech and some of its practical applications were ntroduced, and then not delved into with any possible theories, not even of the made up variety. Disappointing. This would have been a four star if the author had even attempted to go a little deeper.
I didn't think I'd ever read a science fiction book about genetically engineered rice, augmented reality, and grasshopper terrorism, and yet here I am.
this book broke all my expectations. I enjoyed it. ...more
this book broke all my expectations. I enjoyed it. ...more
I enjoyed the near-future/spec-fic premises explored here - both tech and bio concepts, with a slice of culture and day-to-day life.
Japanese Michael Crichton. A bit technological but races along at a great clip.
A cracking techno-thriller from Japan. A "style-sheet" designer for a synthetic rice is scapegoated when the latest, and high profile, crop starts to spontaneously change to the wrong colour. The author has a bold vision of the future which I found only slightly implausible; just let it go for a snappy read.
Perhaps some of the characterisation was lost in translation and in the wonder of technology - another story or two in this universe with these characters could help flesh them out.
(view spoi ...more
Perhaps some of the characterisation was lost in translation and in the wonder of technology - another story or two in this universe with these characters could help flesh them out.
(view spoi ...more
Nov 26, 2015
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
added it
Hard SF, with a cyberpunk vibe but an interesting in genomics rather than the hackers of the 1980s we associated with William Gibson. So if you used to like that kind of book you'll enjoy this. Smart is the best way to define it. Also, a quick read.
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Taiyo Fujii's "Gene Mapper" is an interesting book with some problems. I'm not sure if the issues I have with the book are translation issues or perhaps cultural differences between the US and Japan. But, most of them are not the usual "bad writing" things I see in other books. Anyway, again, the book is interesting. But:
- The author tends to have his characters focus on extraneous things instead of the important things. There are an awful lot of points where I was scratching my head, thinking " ...more
- The author tends to have his characters focus on extraneous things instead of the important things. There are an awful lot of points where I was scratching my head, thinking " ...more
I picked this book up at MidAmericon (WorldCon that year, in Kansas City, MO), and was lucky enough to meet the author. Didn't get a chance to read it till now, and I'm sorry I waited. I very much enjoyed this one, which combines GMO technology taken beyond its natural limits and Augmented Reality (AR) taken to the next level, or maybe three. The protagonist is a gene mapper whose career and reputation may be down the tubes after the super rice crop he helped design shows signs of genetic collap
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I started to read this and was inundated with technobabble about some strain of rice. Then we get people calling a woman doing her job a bitch as well as saying that Google somehow caused the internet to die out completely and it's replaced with TruNet. We get sentences that invoke images of abuse that involve "spanking" Mother, which is some kind of computer system or something?
They also go on at length about 32-bit dates causing the end of the world VS 64-bit dates and 128-bit dates. My head ...more
They also go on at length about 32-bit dates causing the end of the world VS 64-bit dates and 128-bit dates. My head ...more
Decent enough biopunk. I wish I could give it 3.5 stars. It's a relatively slow burn for a simple enough detective story about a new "five star" artificially designed rice variant that is mysteriously getting infected. It's set in the 2030's, where VR and augmented reality are fully enmeshed in everyday life, and fully artificial organisms that are programmed whole cloth from the DNA up are just beginning to exist.
It's relatively hard scifi, aside from a brief interlude involving nanites, which ...more
It's relatively hard scifi, aside from a brief interlude involving nanites, which ...more
A great read. There was never a dull moment in this story. Really engaging. A storyline that was constantly changing, good characters and character development as well as great technical detail described throughout the book.
Really enjoyed going through Gene mapper. It was fun, exciting, interesting, imaginative and it made you think about the future of genetic engineering and how far we can possibly take it. The technical detail in this book was great, never over-bearing.
The story was very easy ...more
Really enjoyed going through Gene mapper. It was fun, exciting, interesting, imaginative and it made you think about the future of genetic engineering and how far we can possibly take it. The technical detail in this book was great, never over-bearing.
The story was very easy ...more
I would have finished this in a single read had I started reading earlier in the day. It had me hooked on the story early in. I love this kind of story where the technology and the skills of the characters are reflected in the terminology, almost to the point of jargon overload. I feel this kind of writing helps me to appreciate the characters skill and also make the world a little more 3D. Sometimes it can feel like a cheat when it’s too much jargon without a layman clarification but I think th
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As it is set in Vietnam and Cambodia, it was a fun novel for those of us who have traveled there. The characters and plot were fresh. The author doesn't follow the same lines that an American page-turner author would have. One tidbit: the original Internet collapsed and is currently only accessible from rogue datacenters. In the novel, there is one on a barge outside of HCMC. The author is timely and not prone to use stereotype characters or stock lines. I highly recommend to any scifi readers l
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A very enjoyable sci-fi that wasn't like anything I'd read before. There were some very interesting concepts in it, though I think some of the science went straight over my head, as I honestly couldn't tell you how realistic or outlandish they were. I had a few issues understanding the story, but I think that was just a result of the things that get lost in translation. I'd definitely be interested in reading a follow up to see what developments come from how the book ended.
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Science fictions at its peak. Transporting us into the future, while throwing the dystopia off the cliff.
Taiyo Fujii paint the future with words, and capture the essence of locations as the book plays out. He places faith in our species making the right moves, as new technology emerges from darkness.
237. Pages gone in a Blizz, this book was a beautiful read. Thanks to Jim Hubbert for the translation, and keeping the "tone". ...more
Taiyo Fujii paint the future with words, and capture the essence of locations as the book plays out. He places faith in our species making the right moves, as new technology emerges from darkness.
237. Pages gone in a Blizz, this book was a beautiful read. Thanks to Jim Hubbert for the translation, and keeping the "tone". ...more
I really enjoyed this novel! The jargon took a bit to get used to, but the world that was created was intriguing, and plausible, and scary. The concepts of gene mapping, and engineered, "distilled" crops, were super cool, and I liked the fast pace of this novel as well.
Can't wait to read more from this author.
3.5/5 stars ...more
Can't wait to read more from this author.
3.5/5 stars ...more
Great book about technology and food production. The writing may through some readers off, but it reminded of me manga animated movies that I have seen (note - I have not seen many of them).
Really liked the ending and how it developed. Looking forward to reading Taiyo Fuljii's other works. ...more
Really liked the ending and how it developed. Looking forward to reading Taiyo Fuljii's other works. ...more
I relished the geekiness of this near future depiction. I found the mystery solving action fell rather flat at the end, though.
Had a Snow Crash-of-biopunk-lite feel to it. Please let there be more of this.
Smart. Entertaining. I enjoyed the heck out of this book.
Extra!
This book took some time to catch my interest, but the further in I got, the more complex the story became, and the ending was both unexpected and satisfying.
Welcome to the GMO punk, where genetically modified food is as common as air and google-fu rules the world.
The beginning is betraying the book's Japanese translated origins as its style is rather simple. Nevertheless, it's possible to get used to this. For sure I did.
The narrative seems fast-paced but is dragging in the middle. Beware of a disappointing ending! ...more
The beginning is betraying the book's Japanese translated origins as its style is rather simple. Nevertheless, it's possible to get used to this. For sure I did.
The narrative seems fast-paced but is dragging in the middle. Beware of a disappointing ending! ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHORF Central Com...: Gene Mapper by Taiyo Fujii | 2 | 15 | Aug 28, 2015 03:56PM |
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Taiyo Fujii (藤井太洋 Fujii Taiyō?) (born 1971 in Amami Ōshima) is a Japanese science fiction writer.
Awards
2015: Nihon SF Taisho for Orbital Cloud
2015: Seiun Award Japanese Long Form for Orbital Cloud
Works
English translations, long form[edit]
Gene Mapper (2015), translation of Gene Mapper —full build— (2013)
English translations, short form
"Violation of the TrueNet Security Act" (2015), translation of " ...more
Awards
2015: Nihon SF Taisho for Orbital Cloud
2015: Seiun Award Japanese Long Form for Orbital Cloud
Works
English translations, long form[edit]
Gene Mapper (2015), translation of Gene Mapper —full build— (2013)
English translations, short form
"Violation of the TrueNet Security Act" (2015), translation of " ...more
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